BCU Racing’s powertrain lead Ben Cooke reveals how the team overcame a recent setback — and expresses hopes for another shot at Silverstone.
The engine cranked in the December cold. Ben Cooke watched the bare rectangular machine intently. Wires crawled out of several ends, lying on the wooden table, connected to a laptop. A team of mechanics huddled around the table, some with tools in their hands, as if conducting open-heart surgery.
“It’s an engine that doesn’t like cold starts. It’s frustrating,” sighed Ben, his monitor displaying the coolant temperature.
Birmingham City University Racing Team’s (BCU RT) powertrain department, led by Ben, has been testing the engine for several weeks at the Formula Student workshop, which is tucked discreetly behind Millennium Point, home to the university’s computing, engineering, and built environment courses.
The team made a breakthrough in November last year when they got the engine up and running, a moment of jubilation for Ben and his crew.
“To finally see it running after a lot of effort was the best feeling,” Ben told Birmingham Eastside.
But with winter slowly creeping its way through Birmingham, Ben and his team encountered a setback.
The engine refused to start.
Engine woes
Back in July last year, an inoperative engine was one of the few reasons that the car was undrivable in the on-track events at Silverstone for the 2023 Formula Student event.
During testing in the lead-up to the event, the team fried the Electronic Control Unit (ECU), a part that ensures the engine runs smoothly and visually resembles a computer motherboard.
“We had to buy another ECU, and then the Electronics department had a massive job to completely change the wiring. It’s extremely difficult to do that first try and get it working. Eventually, it was sorted, and then it was over to us to try and get it working before the event.
“But by that time, it got close enough where we didn’t have the time to get the engine running.”
When Silverstone slipped away in 2023
The 19-year-old from Redditch was also one of BCU RT’s designated drivers in 2023.
A non-working car meant that Ben missed out on an incredible opportunity to drive at Silverstone, a historic racing track and the home of the British Grand Prix.
“It was quite sad to know that the chance was gone,” he said. “But hopefully I get chosen again. Getting to race there would be a dream come true.
“There are quite a few new people who are going to be interested in driving (at the 2024 event), so it’s a matter of who’s fastest.”
Going racing is a priority for BCU Racing this year. Team principal Oliver Chambers has set the crew an ambitious target.
“Our goal is to complete every dynamic event (on-track). We’ve never done that before as a team, in the history of it,” he told Birmingham Eastside.
And to be able to achieve that target, the car will need a reliable engine.
Overcoming a cold challenge
While the rest of the team worked in classroom 007 on Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and other components of the car, like they do every Friday, Ben and his crew continued to work through the cold, fine-tuning the engine and trying different setups to bring the heart of the car back to life.
Hours had gone by, and so had the sun: the temperature was now in the low single digits. The crew checked the heat level of the Aprilia RXV 450 engine with a thermal scanner and identified a potential problem. The engineers added some heat to the fluids, the oil and the coolant.
Ben flicked the power switch.
The sound of the ignition was succeeded by an uninterrupted and seamless machine-gun firing noise from the engine. Plumes of white smoke blew out of the exhaust, in a symphony with the engine noise.
Oliver and another engineer high-fived each other as the rest of the crew exchanged smiles. The running engine provided a sense of warmth that made the crew forget about the December cold.
“It responded well to adding some heat to the fluids, the oil, and coolant,” Ben said.
“It’s good experience to know what we need to do in a range of different conditions to make the engine reliable.”
The powertrain team will develop the car further with the rest of the team to maximize performance and lap time. Ben and his crew will monitor and manage engine conditions to give BCU Racing its best shot at finishing higher up the grid.
Optimism for 2024
As the new year rolled in, so did BCU Racing Team’s testing schedule. Ben remains optimistic and is also keen on a Silverstone drive.
“I feel as if this year, if anything, we hopefully have a greater chance of going to the event and competing in the dynamic events. That’s exciting,” he said.
“And hopefully, I can be one of the drivers. That would be great.”
Formula Student 2024 will take place from 17-21 July 2024 at Silverstone.